Snow-making companies say business is booming

Unlike many forecasts, Glicken's was accurate. In time for the annual neighborhood Christmas party, a flurry dropped nine tons of snow in front of his Orlando home on Park Lake Court.

But Glicken had a bit of inside information. To accompany the carolers and Santa Claus, the Orlando attorney hired a snow-making company to dump off the frozen stuff for the party.

"It adds a unique element you don't get any other way," said Glicken.

Adding snow to a party has become a popular way to wow guests, especially in Central Florida, where snow is about as common as, well, snow in Florida.

"There's something magical about it," said Dargan Watts of the Birchmore Group, the Orlando-based production company that provided Glicken's snow.

That was evident at Glicken's house, where 75 guests charged into the winter wonderland to play. Kids made snow angels. Teenagers tossed snowballs. And a few adults who couldn't contain their inner child jumped in on the action.

Snow business

In the past few years, come Christmastime, there's no business like the snow business, Watts said. Several Florida snow-making outfits, including the Ice Man in Jacksonville and Zigmont Magic F/X of Tampa, say they're booked through the holiday season.

Snow is an "ingredient" for Christmas, said Steve Zigmont of Zigmont Magic F/X. It makes people feel good and it creates a sense of the holidays, he said.

Since Thanksgiving, the Birchmore Group has produced snow for more than 180 events — both private parties and corporate functions. Watts said the company typically receives orders for snow through February.

Birchmore's is actually chopped ice, Watts said. A few hours before the start of an event, work crews grind ice cubes, which are then chopped and spit out of a hose and into a pile. In less than 20 minutes, a crew can make a four-ton pile of snow that looks and feels like real flakes.

Depending on the weather, Watts said the snow usually melts within 24 hours.

The Birchmore Group charges $249 per ton of snow. Four tons of snow — the minimum amount required for an order — puts a 12-inch layer across 200 square feet. To complete the scene, Watts also rents snow slides, ice rinks, reindeer, giant snow globes and rideable, trackless trains.

Paying for snow

Northerners may get a laugh out of Floridians paying for snow. But anyone who's woken up to a white landscape knows there's something romantic about the cold stuff. That's the feeling Watts and Zigmont are trying to recreate.

The Tampa-based company is known for its "evaporated" snow. Made from a soap-like solution, the "snow" is actually clusters of bubbles — millions of them — blasted into the air. When the snow falls back to the ground, it simulates a flurry, only the flakes aren't frozen.

Zigmont also sprays pulped paper onto trees, lawns, shingles, cars and just about anything else to make it look like a blizzard just rolled through Orlando. A complete snowstorm starts at $3,500, he said, but typically costs from $5,000 to $10,000.

Most of the year, his special-effects company produces snow for commercials, TV shows and films. Zigmont also works as a snow consultant for Disney, Universal Orlando and LegoLand.

Special requests

Watts said two types of customers request snow: Floridians who have never felt the chill of a snowball on their bare hands and northerners who have fond memories of snow. Watts calls it the "nostalgia factor."

He also receives phone calls from those who live outside of Florida, but want their relatives to enjoy snow on Christmas.

"People from up north call and say, 'I want my parents to have a winter wonderland.'"

For Glicken, bringing snow to the neighborhood has been a three-year tradition. And although the fun only lasts about two hours, Glicken said it's worth it.

The faces of the kids and adults playing in the snow is that of "sheer joy and happiness."